The S-Class might just be the first car to drive by itself, a technological wonder of its time. However, for a true petrolhead, that pales in comparison with the awe-inspiring S65 AMG Coupe presented at the Paris Motor Show. Short of the G63 6x6 monster, this is the most expensive, most luxurious and ridiculously powerful Mercedes that everybody wants and nobody can afford. We love it!
But first, a little history lesson. In 1993 Mercedes presented the first S-Class with a V12 engine, the first 600, reacting to BMW's effort in the same segment and building on the success of the 600SEL. There was even a limited production S70 AMG model powered by the same engine they made for the Pagani Zonda. It took until 2004 for the S65 AMG to come out with a tuned engine and sports setup, quickly becoming the stuff of legend.
Almost exactly a decade later, we have not only a new chapter, but a new book to tell the continuation of that story.
Presented earlier this year, this S 65 AMG model is a an imposing four-door coupe. Let's get some of the facts out of the way first: 6 liters of displacement from 12 cylinders; 630 PS delivered with the help of twin turbines; basically more torque than you actually need or could use – a nice, round 1000 Nm… limited to stop the tires from exploding. For our American friends, that translates into 737 lb-ft of tire-squealing twisting power. That's a lot more than the 650 lb-ft of torque claimed by the monstrous Dodge Charger Hellcat.
In between the engine and the wheels, Mercedes has stuck one of its seven-speed gearboxes which can force in the cogs fast enough for a 0 to 100 km/h in 4.1 seconds, 0.2 seconds faster than the S65 AMG saloon, but slower than the 63 with all-wheel drive.
But this car ins't about going fast, it's about the ultimate prestige tool for people with fine taste, ambition and a lot of cash. It's not something you can buy from Jaguar, BMW or Audi. "There are AMG fans for whom our V12 biturbo engine is the measure of all things," explains AMG chief Tobias Moers.
We've selected two walkaround videos of the new S65 AMG saloon from some of the most popular Youtube channels for this kind of stuff. The first one is by Saabkyle04 and already has over 120,000 views despite only being uploaded a week ago.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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